At the forefront of developing the emerging de facto standards for virtual world platforms, Bruce Joy, CEO of VastPark (a leading virtual worlds platform developer based in Australia) will lead the debate about the opportunity and direction of virtual worlds and the visual web for the next 6-12 months. This is a welcome chance to catch up on a rare visit to the UK by VastPark.

The functionality of the VastPark platform will revolutionise interactive digital brands, games and communications on the emerging immersive Visual Web; helping to tie-in much of the key but disparate issues right now of widgets&gadgets, virtual worlds and social networks.

Bruce is joined by leading MMO games developers: CCP Games, Codemasters and Avaloop and leading media developers and brand agencies, including Rivers Run Red, to debate and discuss the near-term potential of virtual worlds: opportunity, risk&reward.

The sessions provide delegates with a 6–12 month strategy roadmap based on clear case studies for monetizing the Visual Web and online communities.

With 45+ speakers, the Visual Web Convention 9-10th July in London, is the first event to showcase, debate and identify the opportunities for application and monetization of the Visual Web 2.0 and online communities across games, brands, learning, media&communications– with a focus on virtual worlds, MMOs, social networks and serious games.

The sessions provide delegates with a 6–12 month strategy roadmap based on case studies for monetizing the Visual Web and online communities. They: learn about the impact of open API and widgets - discover the roadmap for mobile social networks and interconnectivity - hear how to exploit the current 500m + community members in existing social networks and how to build the next-gen social network to leapfrog Facebook and Bebo.

The Convention, to be held at RIBA, comprises 4 main events each separately bookable, with a focus on:

• Online Games - casual games– Building sustainable communities, opening up Facebook and reaching 500m+ established social networkers.

• Widgets&Gadgets– How this-gen Web, with prolific open APIs and widgets, is driving commerce, building communities and brands - including games and media.

• Virtual worlds&MMOs– New platform for the Web? Life-style games? MMOs? What’s the value, opportunity and roadmap? Who are the key players and what are the right platforms for you to develop new games on?

• Serious games&learning– Appropriate use of Web 2.0, ARGs, virtual worlds and serious games to learning, awareness and policy. In addition, are climate change games a new family-friendly genre for games publishers?

• The Talent Crunch– How to find and then keep key talent in the creative digital industries. The definitive Academic Meets Industry Consultation!

VastPark is a leading developer of virtual world platforms, based in Australia. Bruce Joy is CEO and is the latest of the leading companies drawn from across: entertainment and broadcasting, casual games, brand agencies and serious games developers&users, to sign up to speak at the Convention.

‘Our aim is to provide you with free and functional tools that make it as easy as possible to create or remix your own virtual worlds.The vision of the VastPark platform is to enable you to create your own "Virtual Web" where virtual worlds can be built from highly interactive portable building blocks and 3D widgets all of which can be created, shared, monetized and remixed by users, developers and corporates.’

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